Macron asks Attal to stay on as PM temporarily

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
8 Jul 2024 22:36

Macron asked Attal to continue in a caretaker role to oversee governance until a stable government can be formed.

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French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal leaves the weekly cabinet meeting, Wednesday, July 3, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris (AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday asked Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to remain in his position temporarily to ensure stability amidst a hung parliament and ongoing negotiations for a new government.

Attal initially resigned on Monday morning after Macron's coalition suffered significant losses.

However, Macron asked him to continue in a caretaker role to oversee governance until a stable government can be formed, citing the upcoming Paris Olympics and the need to reassure international stakeholders and financial markets.

The New Popular Front (NFP), a coalition of left-leaning parties, emerged victorious in the final round of voting, defying earlier polls that favored the far-right National Rally (RN) led by Marine Le Pen.

With 182 seats, the NFP leads but lacks an absolute majority in the 577-seat National Assembly. Macron's centrist coalition Together secured 168 seats, while the RN settled for 143.

The election, triggered by Macron's party's setback in the European Parliament elections, has left France facing difficult coalition talks that could span weeks.

Options include forming a technocratic government, a minority government led by the NFP with bill-by-bill support or a broad coalition across the political spectrum.

The situation has sparked debate over the future direction of French politics, with concerns being raised about the challenges of reaching compromises among parties.

Within the NFP, discussions continue on selecting a prime minister, with figures like Marine Tondelier emerging as potential candidates.

But divisions remain within the leftist alliance, particularly over coalition-building with centrists, as indicated by Jean-Luc Mélenchon's firm stance against any compromise.

"The president must appoint as prime minister someone from the NFP, to implement the NFP’s program, its whole program and nothing but its program," Mélenchon’s lieutenant Manuel Bompard confirmed.

Prominent centrists such as former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe and longtime Macron ally François Bayrou have expressed support for a coalition agreement that spans from the moderate left to the center-right, but excludes Mélenchon's LFI.

"We can no longer have one bloc against another – it can’t work like that anymore," Bayrou told reporters. "French voters have told us that we have to abandon, as far as we can, government ‘against the rest' for government 'with the rest'."